Electric fixture.



J. LE MOYNE.

ELECTRIC FIXTURE.

Y APBLIGATION FILED $121.27, 1911.

Patented J ain. 28 1913.

Attest- Inventor:

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFlCE.'

JAIVIES LE MOYNE, OF NEW YORK, N. lY., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ASHTON C. HUGILL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC FIXTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 191s.

T o aU whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES LE MoYNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Fixtures, fully described and represented in theA following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in fixtures for electrical purposes and has been designed particularly to provide an improved socket for use with electric lamps, especially glow or incandescent lamps, of the type known in the art as pull sockets, in which the electric connec tion for lightingr and putting out the lamp is effected by moving a contact into or out of contact position by means of a suitable cord or chain, the pulls of the cord or chain for making or breaking contact being preferably in the same general direction.

-It is a further object of the invention to rovide a socket the construction of which shall embody fewer parts than are employed in the constructions of sockets now in use, whereby the socket is less liable to get out of order, is more durable, and cheaper to make.

Generally speaking, there is provided byv the invention a construction embodying a spring member preferably arranged so as to be normally free from tension which is in fixed electrical connection with one of the terminals of an electric circuit, the spring member cooperating with a stationary contact piece in electrical connection with an electric lamp or the like to which current is to be supplied, the lamp,- when the invention is used with a lamp, being in electrical connection through its socket with the other terminal of the circuit. The stationary cont-act piece is preferably recessed or is provided with a recessed member, and the spring member is movable into and out ofV contact relation with the recessed portion of the'contact piece, and is of such form as to spring into contact position with the contact 'piece when it is moved to make contact, and

when pulled out of contact position to spring awaY from the contact piece and resume its original position, these movements being preferably substantially parallel. and effected b y separate pulls in the sameivgeneral direction.

For a more complete understanding of the invention., reference may be had .to a detailed description of a eonstructionembodying the same, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which l Figure l is a central vertical section of the improved socket with the ,parts assembled and an electrielight bulb positioned therein; Fig. 2 'is a view partly in-section and partly broken away taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of arrow a in said ligure. Fig. 3 is a top View of the socket; Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. l, showing in detail the stationary contact piece, the spring member, and the preferred means for preventing the spring from jumping past the stationary contact when pulled to contact therewith.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in the figures one construction of socket which is a preferred construction where ordinary voltages are employed, such as those for electric lights, fans, etc. As shown in these figures, the socket includes a lmember 1 to which are secured certain of vthe parts of the socket. In the particular construction illustrated, this member 1 is in the form of a disk located at and forming the top of the socket and acts as a support for the parts secured thereto. This support l maybe made of various non-conducting re,- ractory materials, but preferably for cheapness in manufacture will ibe made of porcelain.

Mounted in the support 1 is the stationary contact piece with which the movable spring member is adapted to be pulled into and out of contact position to alternately make and break an electric circuit, as hereinafter described. The construction of this Contact piece may be somewhat varied, but as shown it comprises a thin strip of suitable conductflownwardly projecting part 5, either inte grally formed tl rewith or connected electrically thereto, a

by soldering. The part 5 projects downwardly a sufficient distance and is of sufllcient dimension to attord a. suitable contact surface, forms the sta-tionary contact with which the movable member coperates to make the circuit. ln the preferred constructien,. this Contact piece or member` will be notched` or recessed so that it will hold lsecurely in contact the movable member when thev same is sprung into contact position.'l As illustrated, the piece 5 (see Fig. 4) is inverted V-shaped, thus torming what may be termed a uimite Contact into the recess 6 of which the movable member may be sprung, and in which it is held.

The' strip 2 has a downwardly projecting leg or portion 7 which is bent as at 8 (see Fig. 2), to provide a snit-able Contact, with one of the terminals et an electric lamp. Likewise secured to the support l is the movable contact member which cooperates with the stationary Contact piece just described to form an electric circuit., the construction of which will now be described. This movable contact member, in the best constructions, comprises a spring 1U which is in the form of a strip of suitable conduct-ing material preferably resilient throughout and bent to the shape of an open-ended loop, this form in practice having been foundvery elicient for the purposes intended. This spring is provided withl a turned end 11 by which it is secured to the support 1 by a suitable screw 12. Preferably the spring is provided with a threaded lug or 'foot l to which is connected by a screw lll the positive leading in wire X of an electric circuit. y The spring member 10, when thus formed will so act that when pulled and the pull released it is ieXed and its free end will spring into the recess of the stationary contact piece 5 before referred to, and be. held in Contact position with that pico by its resiliency, and when the l t the spring is pulled ont oi' the .ontact i ieeej 'the resiliency of me s 4"ill tend to piece and re- 1. contr turn it to its original position, ments bei. of a quick or desirable in constructions et t ai'ord a quicir maire and break.

In the best constructions, in order to save space and permit the production or" a socket of small size, the main body of the spring is so arranged Aas to depend somewhat below the lower side of the support 1. As shown the strip forming the spring is bentat right angles at the top, forming a leg which is of sollicitent length to extend far enough below the lower face-'of the member 1 to allow the spring free movement in the socket. The spring is again bent. circnlarly before referred to, and the free end of the. spring ieprovided with a sect-ion' 16 trairisverse to the main body of the spring which engages with notched or recessed contact 5. The spring is normally free from' tension and is manually operated by means of a suitable pull chain or cord 17 secured on the free end thereof and insulated therefrom.

To insure the free end of the spring positively entering the recess of contact 5 when it is pulled to bring it into such contact position, and to avoid its jumping by the contact piece and thus failing to make contact therewith suitable means are provided, the specific form and arrangement of which may be somewhat varied. As illust-rated, the lower or bottom face ot' the disk 1 is cut away to form a heart-shaped recess 20, into which recess projects `the recessed portion of contact 5, this arrangement being convenient because of the space saved and a more compact structure obtained. The walls of this recess are so arranged that a projection 21 at the bottom of the heart is provided opposite the recessed portion of contact 5. This projection 21 forms a stop Afor the spring and isl so arranged relativelyto the fixed contact as to project into the path of movement of the transverse section of the spring and prevent it from springing past the tixed contact when the spring is moved to Contact therewith. When the spring is again pulled to lreak the Contact the pull on the spring throws it clear ot the projection 21, and the spring is permitted to return to its initial position.

The spring 1() connects with the positive leading in wire and the contact piece 5 arranged to contact with one of the terminals of the electric light which in the present instance forms one terminal of the circuit. The other terminal of the circuit comprises a strip of suitable conducting material 25, preferably copper, secured at its upper end to the support 1 by ,a suit-able screw, and has connected to it thenegativeleading out wire Y ot circuit.. This strip, at its. lower end is bent at right angles' to form a leg or cartons =n 26. On the other sido of the ,socitet opposite strip 2V is a. second strip 2? surtt ly secured to the support l and acting with the strip 25 to support the same. Strip 2T like strip Q5 is bent at lower portion to form a leg or extension Q8. The legs 26 and 28 are suitably scoured to an `inturned flange 29 formed on an open base or socketl 30 by screws 31. The base 30 is of conducting material and is in electrical connection with one of the wires as 32 of the lamp 33, the walls of this base 30 and the strip 25 forming the negative ter minal of the circuit.

A The socket thus tar described is inserted in a. casing 35 of suitable material such as brass, and between the socket and the base 30 and the casing 35 is secured suitable insulating material 36, the casing 35 bein provided at one side with an opening in w iich is fitted an eyelet 37 through which the pull chain 17, before referred to, may be passed into the socket to connect with the spring member as before described.

When the fixed contact piece is set in a recess such as the recess 20, provided with the projectifm 21 before referred to, the base of the projection will act as a stop for preventing the s when it is pulle avfay from the fixed contact to return it to its initial position. In constructions, however, where no recess such as the recess 20 is employed, or if it is employed, means may beaprovided for forming a stop for preventing the spring 4being ulled too far'. Such means may, ifv desired, e provided by the insulation which connects the chain and the transverse section 16 of the spring as before referred to, this in-v sulation being preferably in the form of a stri and so positioned that when the spring has en moved far enough to clear the contact 5 and be returnedto its initialposition, the strip will contact with the edge of the eyelet and prevent the spring being pulled too far.

It will be seen by lthis construction, that there is provided a very simple and withal efficient device, which is exceedingly cheap to manufacture, and which is very efhcient and durable in use. While the invention has been described as applied to a socket for electric lam s of the glow or incandescent type, it is o vious that a construction embodyin the invention may be employed for other c eetrical purposes in which llght or heat or power may be desired. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the exact construction shown and illustrated, but various cha es and variations may be made without eparting therefrom.

What I claim is:-

1. In an electricA fixture,- the combination of a supporting disk forming the top of the fixture, a recess in the disk, a fixed contactv projecting into the recess, a spring secured at one end to the disk and. extending below the same-and having at its free end a section at right' angles to the body of thespring projecting into the recess, means for flexing the spring to move it into and out of contact with the fixed contact, and a stop located in the recess for preventing the spring from jumping past the fixed contact when moved to contact therewith.` v

2A. In an .electric fixture, the combination of a supporti disk forming the top of the fixture, a fixe contact secured to the disk and projecting downwardly therefrom, a

ring being pulled too fax" spring, means for flexing the spring angularly curved spring securedfat one end to the disk lying in a plane parallel with the lower face thereof and having at its free end a section angularly disposed to the main body of the to move it into and out of contact with the xed contact anda stop located in the `path of movement of the spring for preventlng the spring from jumping past the fixed contact when moved to contact therewith.

3. In an electric fixture, the combination of a supporting disk, a fixed contact secured to the disk and projecting therefrom, .a curved spring secured at one end to the disk and-lying in a plane substantially parallelv with the face Athereof and having at its free end a section angularly disposed. to the main body of the spring, means for flexing the spring to move it into and out of contact with l the path of movement of the sprlng for pr venting the spring from jumping past the fixed contact when moved to contact therewith. n j

4. In an electric fixture, the combination of a support-ing' disk forming the top of the fixture, a recess in the disk, a fixed 'contact located inthe recess, a curved strip of resilient metal secured at one end to the disk and extending below the same and having atits free end a section angularly disposed to the main body of the stri and projecting into the recess, means for exingv the strip to move it into and out of contact with the fixed contact, and a stop for preventing the angularly disposed section of the strip from jumping past the fixed cont-act when passed to contact therewith.

5. In an electric fixture, the combination of a supportingV disk, .a curved spring 'se- 'cured at one end to the disk and lying in a plane substantially parallel with the face thereof and having at its free end a section disposed to thegmain body of the spring, a fixed contact secured,to thedisk around which the free end of the spring is adapted `to travel, means for flexing the spring to move it into and out of Contact with the fixed contact, and a stop located in the path of movement of the spring for preventing the spring from jumping past-the fixelfli contact when moved to contact therewit I In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. JAMES LE MOYNE Witnesses:l

P. B. PrnLIPr,

T. F. KEHon.

the fixed contact, and a stop located in- 

